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Betterment offers a $25 new account bonus when you sign up at Betterment.com and fulfill the bonus requirements. For those of you who already have a Betterment account it may be possible to receive a larger bonus. I was sent an email offering me a $100 bonus for investing $10,000 and Maximizing Money was sent an email offering a $50 bonus for investing $5,000. I don’t know if you have to receive the email to qualify for the bonus but it might be worth contacting Betterment to see if you could qualify for the bonus as well. You would need to do it soon since the bonus ends in just a few days. The terms of bonus offer I was sent via email are below.

To qualify for the account bonus, you must (1) initiate a deposit for $10,000 or more between 10/18/2011 and 10/23/2011 at 11:59 pm, (2) keep the $10,000 in your account for at least 26 weeks. B

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Recent studies have shown that the frequency of crime in an area is related to the number of foreclosed homes that are in that area. For homeowners who are left in these areas, the crimes can have a major impact on their lives. Here are some things you can do to protect your neighborhood from the criminals who prey on areas where there is a large number of foreclosed homes.

Collect Newspapers and Mail
Once big sign that a home is not occupied is that there are newspapers and mail that have been left uncollected. If the homeowners have moved out in a rush due to foreclosure proceedings, they probably forgot to stop their newspaper subscriptions as well as changed their mailing address.

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The IRS has resources to help get relief from tax penalties. One source is the “Penalty Handbook” which is online at this link. The Handbook covers items such as:

Failure To File/Failure To Pay Penalties

Estimated Tax Penalties

Failure to Deposit Penalty

Return Related Penalties

Preparer, Promoter, Material Advisor Penalties

Information Return Penalties

Employee Plans and Exempt Organizations Miscellaneous Civil Penalties

International Penalties

Miscellaneous Penalties

Excise Tax and Estate and Gift Tax Penalties

Penalties Applicable to Incorrect Appraisals

Abatements on penalties and interest on unpaid tax is discussed in the Internal Revenue Manual at this link.

Get tax help from a qualified tax lawyer. Call Mitchell A. Port at (310) 559-5259.

Over two years past the banking world has been shaken by the global financial crisis. Typically, banks get the money from various sources, and then lend this money to their customers at a higher rate than they paid for it. Is how a bank makes money.

Much of the bank’s funds comes from their deposit accounts. Transaction accounts, time deposits and other investment accounts take money from the Reserve Bank, and they have account to funds from other banks, both at home and around the world.

Generally, the cost of money to the Reserve Bank determines to what extent a bank will charge its customers. Read more…

Saving for retirement is difficult so many employers have provided retirement plans to their employees, with the most popular being the 401(k) plan.  A 401(k) plan is a defined-contribution plan, where you make regular contributions into an account that you own and make all of the investment decisions for.  401(k) plans allow people to finance their own retirement and have sole authority over the decisions that will affect their future.

Employer-sponsored 401(k) plans are one of the best places to save for retirement because many employers match your contribution up to a certain amount, giving employees a guaranteed return on their money.  There is also numerous tax benefits associated with these plans, including allowing employees to make their contributions on money that has not yet been taxed, reducing their taxable ie by the amount contributed.

Saving in a 401(k) plan is simple.  You decide the amount to contribute, typically 3%-10% of your salary, and the amount to contribute is automatically deducted from your paycheck each pay period.  Contributions are held in your account and are invested in mutual funds chosen for the plan by thepany.  Mostpanies will have a wide selection of different mutual funds to choose from reflecting differing levels of risk and the employee picks which mutual fund to invest the money in their 401(k) account in.

The maximum contribution to a 401(k) plan is $16,500 annually.  Individuals that are 50 or older can contribute an additional $5,500 to their 401(k) plan as a “catch-up contribution.”  The money in your 401(k) account will grow tax-free, but tax penalties will be charged on all withdrawals from the account made before you reach the age of 59 ½.  This penalty fee is generally 10% on top of ordinary ie taxes on the money withdrawn.   To avoid the penalties, the money in your 401(k) account should be left alone until you retire.

Retirement plans differ frompany topany, but most medium-sized and largepanies offer 401(k) plans.  Certain employees of public schools, hospitals, and certain tax-exempt organizations offer their employees 403(b) plans and government employees are offered 457 plans, both of which are very similar to 401(k) plans.  Mostpanies have phased out their pension plans due the high costs of the plans, so most people need to think about financing their own retirement.

When you borrow from a fast payday loan lending center then you usually provide the lender with a post-dated check with your account number in the bank. This is so that if you default on the loan then the lender can cash the check to get his amount back. However, with your next pay check you pay the lender the amount you owe him as well as the fees and interest.

To understand how payday loans work you must first understand that these loan services are only for an unforeseen emergency. However, using them a lot can destabilize your long term financial stability. Since you are taking money out from your pay check each month to pay back a loan, this ensures that you have less money each month to spend on your bills or save. Read more…

The International Institute of Commerce (IISC), which is based in Douglas, has been accepted as a member of the International Astronautical Federation (IAF), the most prestigious institution in the space community. The award took place at a ceremony during the 62nd International Astronautical Congress, held in Cape Town, South Africa.

The IAF is the world’s leading space organisation, grouping all main space agencies, space companies and space related institutes worldwide. The Federation advances knowledge about space, fostering the development and application of space assets by advancing global co-operation.

The proposal for the IISC to become a member of the IAF was made in Cape Town by Prof. W. Peeters, Executive Director of IISC, representing the Institute at that meeting.

Hon Allan Bell MHK, Minister for Isle of Man Department of Economic Development, welcomed the news. H

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